Conveying vehicle such as pallet trucks



May 2, 1950 s. R. NlLssoN CONVEYING VEHICLE SUCH AS PALLET TRUCKS 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 GMQ Filed Jan. 14, 1949 May 2, 1950 s. R. NlLssoN 2,506,381

CONVEYING VEHICLE SUCH AS PALLET TRUCKS Filed Jan. 14, 1949 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 /A/V/I/f QW (am Mema Y www released.

Patented May 2, 195.70

CONVEYING VEHICLE TRUC SUCH AS PALLET Sven Rune Nilssngstockholm, Sweden, assigner to AktiebolagetByggoch Transportekonom, Stockhohn, Sweden, a joint-stock company of Sweden Application january 14, 1949, Serial No. 70,833

lIn Sweden February-116, 1948 u, v

v1 Claim. (Cl. 254-1-2) 1 This invention relates to conveying vehicles such aspallet trucks or forktrucks which are used for lifting s`o-called pallets from the ground and for transporting them to a desired place. Such trucks mainly consist of a carriage with wheels and a platform body or a fork adapted to be raised and lowered relative to the carriage so as to enable the fork of kthe truck to be introduced into corresponding apertures of the pallet, whereupon the pallet is lifted by the fork and the whole carriage together with the pallet conveyed as desired.

The main object of the present invention is to provide a catching mechanism for locking or securing the platform body or fork in the raised positionso as to prevent the platform or fork from dropping from this position unintentio-nally.

A further object of the invention is to prevent the catching mechanism from returning to the locking position unintentionally after having been Further objects and features of the ,invention will be clear from the following' description'of one embodiment of the invention with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure l shows a partly sectioned elevation on the line I--I in Figure 2 of a fork truck according to the invention, the platform bodyor the fork being shown in raised and locked position,

Figure la is a similar view on a smaller scale showing the platform body or fork in a lowered position,

Figure 2 is a plan View of the truck with some parts broken away,

Figure 3 is a diagrammatical cross section on line III-III in Figure 2 on a larger scale, showing the locking or catching mechanism in locked position.

Figure 4 is a section similar to Figure 3, showing the locking or catching mechanism in released position,

Figure 5 is a similar section of the locking or catching mechanism illustrating the position of the parts upon beginning rearward motion of the platform or fork, and

Figure 6 is a, similar section showing the parts of the locking or catching mechanism in the lowered position of the platform or fork.

Referring now to the drawings the truck mainly comprises a forklike frame or undercarriage I, I with rear and front wheels 2, 2 and two beams 3, 3, the rear ends of which are supported by the shaft 2a of the rear wheels by m-eans of links la, which are linked to said shaft 2a and to a shaft 3a attached to the beams 3. In Figure 2 one of the beams 2 (the upper one) is shown with part of a covering metal sheet being broken away while the lower beam in Figure 2 is shown with such metal sheet 3b or thelike. The beams consti? tute the platform body of `the truck and maybe made in any suitable form but in the embodiment shown the two beams 3, 3 form togetherla fork adapted to lift and carry a sor-called pallet indicated by dot and dash. lines P in Figure' 1`. At the front ends the beams'3 are united by means of a transverse beam 4 which at its end portions carries vertical posts or standards 5, 5 which'may be welded or rotherwise secured to the beam 4. Each standard' 5v, 5 is bent forwardly as shownin Figure l and has'a flange 6 which at its free front end is formed as 'a hitch, hook 1 or the like. The undercarriage also carries a cross beam vIZJsuppo'rted bybrackets I2a, l2?) which are se,- cured to the undercarriage I. The front wheel orwheels 2 may be steerable by being mounted on a' bridge adapted to turn around a Vertical pivot.

At the topv of the beam I2 there are provided two pairs of vertical bearing brackets Ila, each pair carrying a horizontal shaft II. Journalled on each shaft II is a collar 9a associated with a pair of plates 9 provided at the ends of a U- shaped handle I0, so that said handle may be swung in Vertical direction around the shafts I I. A transverse bolt 8 is provided between each pair of plates 9 at the top ends of said plates and this bolt is adapted to engage the hook I of the flange 6 when the handle I0 is swung into the position shown in full lines in Figure 1, while the bolt 8 is released from this engagement upon swinging the handle I0 upwards into the position shown in lines of dots and dashes in Figure l. The handle I0 also serves as operating handle on pushing or pulling the truck.

The fork or platform-unit 3, 3a being supported on the links Ia it may be lowered by being pushed backwards which is permitted on raising the handle I0 and thus lowering the bolt 8 to the position shown diagrammatically in Figure la. In this position th-e rear ends of the fork 3, 3a may be introduced in the usual apertures A of a pallet P resting on the ground. The handle I0 is now lowered, the bolt 8 engaging the hook 'I and causing the fork 3, 3a to move forwardlyby swinging on the links la. At the same time the fork is also lifted due to the swinging motion of the links and this lifting motion causes the pallet P to be lifted from the ground so that the pallet now rests on the fork as shown in Figure 1. The whole truck together with the pallet and its load may now be conveyed to a desired place at which the fork and pallet are lowered again as shown in Figure 1a so as to unload the pallet on the ground.

In order to block up or secure the fork unit 3, 3a in the lifted position (shown `in full lines in Figure I) tthere is provided a particular catch or locking mechanism, for instance arranged at vthe middle portion of the beam 4 (see Figure 2) According to the embodiment shown (see also Figure 3) the catch mechanism comprises a pair of brackets I3 xed to the beam 4 and carrying ia horizontal pivot or bolt I4 extending between said brackets. J ournalled on the'pivot II4 is"aniangii lar lever or arm I5, I6 fromwhich1a`link1orl bolt I'I is suspended swingably)in'a'suitablefittingr I8 or the like. The free end of the arm I6 is shaped like a hook I9 whichithefrais'edposi tion oi the fork or platform 3, 3a l'engages 'a shoulder 20 on an angle iron 2| secured-to the beam I2 (see Figure 3);. It will be clear, therefore, that in this position thebeam lI, and thus also the y'fork 3, 3 is locked'to thebeam I2 of the v"unjd'er-carriage.

n 'it "is 'desired "to lower "the fork i3, "3a the datch or lol'ocking mechanism is lrst 'released "by -'lrloving the lockingarm lupwardly tothe posi- 'tion shown in Figure "'4 until :the lower 'end of 'tlielink AVI'I will engage and'be supported'by the beam I2 :and 4thus prevent 'the 'arm I'B'irom dropping linto ithe locking "or 'catched position. V'Now tifehandle IU is free to -loe-swung upwardly so as I11o ^cause the 4fork 3,'3aand 'thus also the beam '1I hrst to be `displacedba'ckw'anis se that the arm "IS "as shown 'in Figure 5 falso 'will 'bei conveyed backwards correspondingly, the 1ink `I1 "during 'this operation serving .as ran .excenter "which still .prevents the locking arm Is 'from returning to fits locking ipo'sition against '.tne shoulder '20.

upon continued .swinging inoveine'ntu'p- 'wards of the handle `I.Il ithe 'whole io'rk-,like Lplat- 'for'm 133ais 'lowered to 'the position of rFig. .la andthe lok'ine'arm I'6`will drop "toits lower positio'n engaging fthe angular 'iron-2| without Vbeing yprevented by the flink I'-'I, .as shown `in Figure 16.

It will be understood that by no means the link II will prevent the catching or locking operation of the arm I6 when the fork 3, 3a is raised again by means of the handle I0 for on completion o'f 'this movement 'the jslocking arm I6 will drop automaticaly into the locking position according to Figure 3 and the fork 3, 3a will then flee blocked in this position eiectively; at the same time vthe handle Hl will be blocked against unintentional swinging movement upwardly as long as the arm I6 is in its locking position. Conse- 'quentlvthe Vwhole pallet truck may be pushed A*or vjp1.`1l"l'ed`in diierent directions without any risk 'of the iork 3, 3a being lowered unintentionally.

I claim:

-fI-n la conveying lvehicle of the kind described comprisingian undercarriage with wheels, a platform-body and means for raising and lowering the platform body relative tto the undercarriage, the combination of a locking shoulder fixed in relation Lto the undercai'riag'e, ka locking arm 'Swing'ably jou'inalled on apar't associated withth'e platform body and having at its freeend a catch'member for engaging lsaid 'locking shoulder'so as'to'look :the .platform body in 'its raised vposition, a link swingably suspended 'trom the Vlocking arm, a stop member located `above .and adjacent the lower end of said link in said lockedposition'jf thelocking varm and arranged to"support'the`lirik and thus 'to hold said ,armina released position upon lifting the arm 'free from its locking shoulder.

REFERENCES GITED The .following .references Vare of 'record .in the lfile of .this lpatent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS vNumber Name Date 1,230,250 Whalley June l19, "1917 '212127,64 Quayle 'June '21, 1938 

